I'm not really surprised Duke Nukem Forever's going to use Steamworks for both single and multiplayer modes when it ships for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on May 3. I still have mixed feeling about Steam, in part because it means other online resellers will probably pass carrying the game, but also because it means Steam has to be running, which presents its own problems. I rarely have trouble with the service to be fair, but when I do, and it pops up error messages like "We're sorry, Steam's not available right now," I want to punch the screen.

If you're rabidly pro-Steam, on the other hand, the news should be a boon. DNF Publisher 2K hasn't yet said whether this includes Steam achievements, but hints at it more to come as "a bunch of questions [players] have been asking...are finalized." The response to the news on developer Gearbox's official DNF forums has so far been mixed.

"I hate when I am forced to play SP [singleplayer] games using [S]team," writes one user. "I'll be fine if just the multiplayer requires [S]team though."

"Suddenly I dont want to buy it anymore," write another. "Steam is stupid."

The balance leans positive, though.

"Steam is a lot better than any retail [G]amestop or EBgames," writes a Steam advocate, adding that "Steam saved PC gaming."

"Steam was a minor annoyance at first," writes another, admonishing anti-Steam users for "overreacting" and continuing "At least say you hate Gearbox and 2K for legitimate reasons, like that atrocious box cover at...I'm going to go play Team Fortress 2 right now, and I'm pretty sure Valve isn't stealing my information and using my PC resources for their dirty schemes."

What do you think? Thumbs up or down for Steamworks powering the PC version of DNF?